Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I support Senator Leyden's amendment to the Order of Business. I have known the Senator for a long time and the Registration of Wills Bill 2016 is something he has brought forward steadfastly. It is time we looked at this area and that we made the process of searching for wills easier. Most solicitors support a register. We need to debate whether it should be voluntary or compulsory and we need to hear from the stakeholders in this regard as well. I hope this can be progressed more than it has been to date. Will the Leader invite the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to the House for a debate as soon as possible to discuss the announcement that the Irish policy on overseas aid is to change to allow funding of abortion services overseas? The Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, has responsibility for overseas development aid and for Irish Aid. However, this is such a significant policy change that we should hear from somebody at Cabinet level about it.

It does not follow from the fact that the eighth amendment was repealed, which allowed legislation for abortion, that public money should be used for funding abortion overseas. Abortion remains a deeply divisive issue in Irish society. Many people, including myself, regard it as a violation of human rights and do not believe it serves the good of mothers and certainly not that of their unborn children. I believe carrying out abortions, if right was right, should be something people go to jail for. Even if my point of view is not accepted by the Government at this time, it remains the fact that many of the people who voted for the repeal of the eighth amendment would not support this. Many of them are uncomfortable with abortion in the circumstances in which is has now been legislated for. Many people who voted "Yes" would have supported something more restrictive, and I think there is evidence of that. In any event, people should be able to agree that it is wrong to use the public purse to push something like this internationally when so many people's consciences in this country - taxpayers' consciences - are deeply troubled by this and would regard it as a perversion of human rights, not as human rights itself.

While it falls within the remit of the Government to advance policy without coming back to the Oireachtas for every detail, obviously the Government spend is subject to legislation in these Houses. This is an issue on which it should be accountable to both the Dáil and the Seanad in a much more considered way than for us to be reading about this major change and the claim that it is somehow consistent with Ireland's new policy in the area. Simply because the law in Ireland now allows, and public money in Ireland provides for, abortion in certain cases, it is by no means conclusive that it follows from this that the Government should spend public money promoting abortion overseas, especially when it is such a divisive and troubling topic.

This deserves a debate in both Houses, although I can only ask for a debate in this House. I would be very grateful if the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade would come in himself. Given he was known to be troubled by aspects of what the Government legislation entailed, it would be all the more appropriate that he would come in and give an account of his stewardship in this area.